I'm not saying that Israel created Hamas or not, but do you have any counter facts that they did not? Or should we just take your word on it?

From the Jpost:

"Netanyahu established Hamas, gave it life, freed Sheikh Yassin and gave him the opportunity to blossom," he said, adding that the current
political situation in the Palestinian Authority came about "because of the nonsense that was done while Netanyahu was prime minister."

In a Likud faction meeting three hours later, Netanyahu lashed back, for the first time criticizing Olmert's handling of the summer's war in
Lebanon. Netanyahu broke his policy of defending thegovernment's handling of the war, which he had done repeatedly in interviews with the foreign
press.

"The prime minister clearly hasn't learned anything," Netanyahu said. "This is the same prime minister who allowed Hamas to run in Jerusalem.
It's the same prime minister who is not able to nip things in the bud before they get out of hand. He gets carried away due to his lack of leadership
and that was proven by the way things got out of hand in the South and then the North and his scandalous handling of the war. It's agovernment of
failure and blunder and it has to go as soon as possible."

When the intifada began, Israeli leadership was surprised when Islamic groups began to surge in membership and strength. Hamas immediately grew in
numbers and violence. The group had always embraced the doctrine of armed struggle, but the doctrine had not been practiced and Islamic groups had not
been subjected to suppression the way groups like Fatah had been, according to U.S. government officials.

But with the triumph of the Khomeini revolution in Iran, with the birth of Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorism in Lebanon, Hamas began to gain in
strength in Gaza and then in the West Bank, relying on terror to resist the Israeli occupation.

Israel was certainly funding the group at that time. One U.S. intelligence source who asked not to be named said that not only was Hamas being funded
as a "counterweight" to the PLO, Israeli aid had another purpose: "To help identify and channel towards Israeli agents Hamas members who were
dangerous terrorists."

In addition, by infiltrating Hamas, Israeli informers could only listen to debates on policy and identify Hamas members who "were dangerous
hard-liners," the official said.

In the end, as Hamas set up a very comprehensive counterintelligence system, many collaborators with Israel were weeded out and shot. Violent acts of
terrorism became the central tenet, and Hamas, unlike the PLO, was unwilling to compromise in any way with Israel, refusing to acquiesce in its very
existence.

But even then, some in Israel saw some benefits to be had in trying to continue to give Hamas support: "The thinking on the part of some of the
right-wing Israeli establishment was that Hamas and the others, if they gained control, would refuse to have any part of the peace process and would
torpedo any agreements put in place," said a U.S. government official who asked not to be named.

"Israel would still be the only democracy in the region for the United States to deal with," he said.

All of which disgusts some former U.S. intelligence officials.

"The thing wrong with so many Israeli operations is that they try to be too sexy," said former CIA official Vincent Cannestraro.

According to former State Department counter-terrorism official Larry Johnson, "the Israelis are their own worst enemies when it comes to fighting
terrorism."

"The Israelis are like a guy who sets fire to his hair and then tries to put it out by hitting it with a hammer."

The Hamas is an off-shoot of the Muslim Brotherhood which also operates in Egypt with roots going back to the 1940s.

The Olmert quote was a political statement, blaming the then opposition leader for allowing Hamas to operate and releasing one of it's top
operatives. That's not the same thing as creating it, and claiming that to be the case is, well, a bit daft.

If you check your Wiki entry, you'll see this reference as a source (from a pro-Palestinian website):

[sarcasm]Thank God someone is here to put things straight for us lowly peons that don't know anything about the Middle East beyond wiki searches and
conspiracy websites. Thanks for bestowing upon us this absolute, unbiased truth.[/sarcasm]

I don't believe that Israel created Hamas. But it is true that every intelligence agency from the CIA to Mossad to the KGB has infiltrated the Muslim
Brotherhood, for information and for their own uses. I can provide details, but of course, anything that seems to criticize Israel or the US is
instantly untrue, regardless of the facts. I also find your manner of talking down and assuming that everybody but you is ignorant to be
counterproductive to your overall argument, not to mention insulting.

The lie that every person who criticizes Israel is a Hamas supporter is the greatest trick you guys ever pulled.

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